Combine culture and beach on this coast to coast journey from the toe to the heel of Southern Italy.
The lowdown
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Getting There
Fl via Naples with British Airways or Easy jet, for a starting point in Basilicata. Puglia is best reached by flying to Bari or Brindisi.
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When To Go
April to October would be considered the best months to visit. Bear in mind it gets very hot during July and August.
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Combine With
We can highly recommend a stay in Naples to visit The National Archaeological Museum, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Or why not include a stop on the glorious Amalfi Coast.
A road trip through the unique and contrasting regions of Basilicata and Puglia offers historic sites, rural charm and two glorious coastlines to explore. Journey from the lovely seaside town of Maratea to the famed cave-dwellings of UNESCO-listed Matera, before crossing into Puglia to visit its whitewashed trulli towns and sun-bleached sandy beaches.
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Welcome to Basilicata
Your trip begins in Maratea, a wonderfully scenic hilltop town backed by mountains and with views of the sparkling sea below. Wander the lanes of the beautiful historic centre, visit some of the numerous churches, then watch the world go by from a café in the main piazza. Great walking opportunities await inland, as do the sleepy villages of Lagonegro and Rivello. Basilicata’s nearby rocky coastline is home to serene seaside towns like Acquafredda and Fiumicella, where you’ll find plenty of sumptuous fish-specialist trattorias.
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Ancient Matera
Drive inland for a stay in Matera, a UNESCO-listed town famed for its ancient cave-dwellings. Its cinematic landscape has served as the backdrop for many a biblical epic, and was also the setting for Carlo Levi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli. Once evidence of the town’s acute poverty, many of the caves have now been transformed into stylish wine bars and boutique cave-hotels.
Here you can explore the hundreds of stone and bronze age caves, alongside a host of impressive churches and museums. It’s well worth a visit to the town’s towering cathedral to see the stunning 13th century Byzantine frescoes.
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Trulli Italian
Cross over into Puglia to round off your road trip, where you can choose to stay in a coastal resort or a converted masseria (fortified farmhouse). Explore the whitewashed hilltop towns of Ostuni and UNESCO-listed Alberobello, where you’ll see the iconic trullo houses, famed for their striking conical roofs, for which the region is known. You’ll find beautiful sandy beaches, inviting beach bars and wonderful restaurants in abundance, as well as charming coastal towns like Gallipoli and Trani.
